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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS,
VOL. 34,
L16816,
doi:10.1029/2007GL030037,
2007
Wildfires drive interannual variability of organic carbon aerosol in the western U.S. in summer
Dominick V. Spracklen
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
Jennifer A. Logan
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
Loretta J. Mickley
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
Rokjin J. Park
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
Rosemarie Yevich
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
Anthony L. Westerling
School of Engineering, University of California, Merced, California, USA
Dan A. Jaffe
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, Washington, USA
Abstract
Forest wildfire area burned in the western U.S. has increased in recent decades resulting in a substantial organic carbon
(OC) source with large interannual variability. We derive OC emissions from wildfires using data for area burned for 1980–2004
and ecosystem specific fuel loadings. For the period 1989–2004 we analyze OC observations in the western U.S. from the IMPROVE
network and use a global chemical transport model to simulate OC concentrations. Modeled and observed OC concentrations are
highly correlated when we use interannually varying fire emissions (R2 = 0.88); the correlation is smaller with climatological emissions (R2 = 0.4). We estimate that the observed increase in wildfire activity after the mid 1980s has caused mean OC concentrations
in summer over the western U.S. to increase by 30% relative to 1970–1984. In the coming decades, climate change will likely
cause further increases in wildfires resulting in increased OC concentrations with implications for health and visibility.
Received 15
March
2007;
accepted 16
July
2007;
published 25
August
2007.
Keywords: biomass burning;
aerosols;
climate change.
Index Terms: 0305 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801, 4906); 0315 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Biosphere/atmosphere interactions (0426, 1610); 0365 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Troposphere: composition and chemistry; 0426 Biogeosciences: Biosphere/atmosphere interactions (0315).
Read Full Article (file size: 174876 bytes) Cited by
Citation: Spracklen, D. V., J. A. Logan, L. J. Mickley, R. J. Park, R. Yevich, A. L. Westerling, and D. A. Jaffe
(2007),
Wildfires drive interannual variability of organic carbon aerosol in the western U.S. in summer,
Geophys. Res. Lett.,
34,
L16816,
doi:10.1029/2007GL030037.
Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.
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